


Meanwhile In The Gamma Forest

by daxcat79



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Clara Regrets Everything, Drama, F/M, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Jack Harkness Flirts, Romance, Sexual Humor, Twelve Is A Freak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-18
Updated: 2013-12-18
Packaged: 2018-01-05 01:16:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1087876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daxcat79/pseuds/daxcat79
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The biggest mistake the Doctor ever made was underestimating River Song.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meanwhile In The Gamma Forest

**Author's Note:**

> I’d like to think this fic is a little more complicated than your average fix-it fic, but you be the judge. Let’s just say, Moffat gave the Doctor an equal, and it’s always bothered me that in her last days she failed to live up to the hype.

There were times, though few and far between, when Clara could swear the Doctor cried. Hope in the horizon, an entire world out there waiting for him, and endless adventures in the meantime… but when he thought no one was looking, she could see it in his eyes. He didn’t seem to notice them, and when he did they were like a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. Why did the Doctor cry when no one was looking?

“… more shenanigans, Clara! Ooooh, I do love that word! Shenanigans! I love a good shenanigan! Well, how can you not? It’s a brilliant word, and implies brilliant… stuff… and things… and often leads to trouble and wandering off. However, you should never wander off! I keep telling people not to wander off… you’ve been the first in a thousand years to actually listen to those words, Clara… I… Clara?” The Doctor paused his ramblings with a frown, realizing he wasn’t being listened to. He hated that… not being listened to. Did he really have a face no one listened to?

Clara could only blink, turning to face him with a hesitant smile. He didn’t even notice this time. He was an alien… had he sprung a leak? Did tears mean the same? Of course they did… she’d seen him cry before, briefly, like a normal person. Proper tears. The sad kind that came with loss and a mess of emotional chaos. Such a human reaction, but she could tell he found it distasteful. She didn’t say a word as she brushed away the wetness staining his face.

The Doctor blinked, standing incredibly still for once in his life, staring at her hand as if I’d turned a new color. He gripped her wrist to examine the evidence, evidence of his tears. “Something’s wrong.”

“If you want to talk… I… you know I’m here,” she spoke, quiet and unassuming.

He stepped away from her and used his sleeve to wipe his face, sniffing and shaking his head. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“You call that perfectly fine?”

He turned back to look at her, standing proud and stubborn. “How would you know it’s not? Two hearts, regeneration, not to mention all that… weird stuff… and that’s just to start with! For all you know it’s nothing.”

Clara wasn’t fooled. She was good at reading people. He may have been her biggest challenge yet, but she’d seen enough to understand now. She reached back up to touch his face before pulling him in closer. He didn’t want to look at her, but it was all she’d allow. “Alien, you may be… but those eyes look perfectly human.”

His smile was almost watery. “Clara… my Clara… you truly are impossible.”

He wasn’t ready to talk. She let it go just as her hand slipped from his cheek and she turned to the Tardis’ controls. “I believe you were telling me something about shenanigans?”

“Not just any kind of shenanigans… the _best_ kind!” he insisted.

*~*~*

There was a strange stillness in the air as he leapt from the Tardis with arms wide open and a ‘Tada’ left to fade in the silence of the forest. This wasn’t right. Not even close. Giant trees towering over them, blocking out the sun, so wide in diameter it might take a minute just to walk around the stump. Clara stumbled after him, taking in her surroundings with that knowing smirk. “So much for the city of Alferanoo.”

The Doctor spun back towards her with narrowed eyes. “Tell me something Clara… if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it… did it make a sound?”

Clara folded her arms and rolled her eyes. “A bit hard to solve that question if we’re around to hear it?” It took all of three seconds for the tree in front of them, tipped dangerously on it’s side to slip from the cradle of the other tree beside it and drop to the ground with no natural answering quake… and not even a resounding rumble. Clara’s jaw dropped. “That’s… that’s not possible. It didn’t even make a sound!”

“The Gamma Forest… aka the forest of silence! Literally every last tree here might fall at any given time, but will not be heard whether observed or unobserved!” he announced with a wave of his hands, and his cleverest smirk. “Question is… why would the Tardis take us here?”

The Gamma Forests were inherently peaceful and calm, despite the constant toppling of giant plant life. The people of the forest were friendly, and often well hidden in the wake of strange visitors… especially visitors in a phone box. He could feel eyes watching, waiting, but not a soul in his sights. Clara took a step away from the Tardis towards one of the trees, but the Doctor was quick to stop her.

“Quite easily toppled, Clara. More than likely our arrival has caused several to fall before their time. Best not to cause a bigger ripple.”

Clara’s hand dropped back to her side, suddenly cautious. “So one touch could bring them all down?”

“One touch, a mild wind… a gentle rain… a fly deciding to take a load off… literally nothing at all! Clumsiest trees in the universe, if you ask me, but at least their quiet about it,” he answered.

“That’s… comforting.”

He felt it. A whisper in his ear; a nagging in his head. He was missing something, a very big something. The Tardis had taken him here, but unlike the people of the Gamma Forest, he was incapable of navigating the area without knocking down a few hundred trees. “Watch your step,” he whispered softly.

Perception filter. He could feel it, but not yet _see_ it. One could tell by the twisting in his gut. The corner of his eye, waiting in plain sight, but out of his reach. The Doctor twirled to his right, following his idle gaze, and the air shimmered. He’d gotten good at perceiving perception filters… well, good in the fact that he could sense them, but only if he knew where to look.

“Here’s the thing… I’ve been here before. A long time ago, and I met a girl… a young, brave girl who ran with me. We saved the forests, her and I… well… I did most of the work, but she was there! I remember her now… Lorna. The… mighty warrior has returned, so where’s my welcome wagon?” He reached into the shrubbery before the shimmering could fade, gripping the flesh of an arm and yanking it from the filter. Not surprisingly, the shrub immediately tipped over and fell. He hadn’t expected the wide eyes that owned the arm currently in his possession. “That’s new….”

Stefan’s eyes widened in surprise. One of Lorna’s friends, he remembered. It happened far too long ago. His memory was less than stellar. “Doctor!”

“Stefan?! What the hell are you doing in that shrub?”

“H-hiding.”

The Doctor’s eyebrows wrinkled in confusion, dropping the arm and watching Stefan rise. He looked older, with dark brown hair and the darkest eyes. His full height was equal to him, but his shoulder’s slouched, and his head remained low. “Why would you do that?”

Stefan shifted from one foot to the other. He didn’t exactly look afraid, but he was most definitely hiding something. “She told me to. She told me to watch you.”

“ _She_? Who is _she_?!”

Stefan’s mouth opened, but he never answered. With the distraction of another tree dropping unceremoniously to the ground without a peep, another revealed herself. “Hello… Doctor.”

A flash of blonde curls gave his hearts pause, but when he turned to look at the woman who spoke, it was most assuredly not anyone he knew. For a moment he felt haunted by the large mane of wild hair, but everything else was different. Was she a ghost, to punish him? His crimes against her were certainly deplorable, but it’d been her choice… _not one line_. “And who might you be?”

The air around her shimmered, giving him pause. A perception filter still in play, around Stefan too, though they behaved as if he hadn’t noticed. _He had._ Her hands dropped to her hips, far more confident than the shuddering mess of a man standing beside him. “I’m no one in particular.”

“No one, you say?” the Doctor challenged with a lifted eyebrow.

She nodded in amusement. “I have no name, not anymore.”

“And yet, you knew mine?”

“Everyone knows of the Doctor… well, they used to anyway.”

He got too big. Anonymity had it’s advantages, though obviously it had failed in this case. “You seem to have me at a disadvantage.”

“Don’t I always?”

“I don’t know, do you?”

She wasn’t backing down. He liked that. He liked that a little too much, but it didn’t make sense. This woman behaved as if they’d met, which he was certain he would have remembered… or would he? Wouldn’t be the first time he met someone out of order. Her perception filter worked wonders. He searched those eyes, but saw nothing. Those curls, his only clue, but it was impossible….

“The Tardis brought you to the forests for good reason, Doctor.”

“Another big scaly monster?” he questioned, probably a bit too hopeful considering the chaos it’d inflicted on their world last time.

“I protect this forest, Doctor. There are no big scaly monsters,” she replied with a roll of her eyes.

The Doctor frowned. “Oh.” It would have been fun. He did so enjoy the monsters.

She kept her distance, he noticed. He doubted she’d allow him to get too close. Very curious. Clara cleared her throat. “So then what are we doing here?”

The mysterious woman shifted her gaze from the Doctor to Clara. “You travel with the Doctor?”

Clara nodded. “I’m called, Clara.”

“Clara… yes, I’ve seen your face before.” For once the woman took a step closer. “In time… through-out time… a million different lives, ripped in a million different pieces. Always watching and waiting… like a guardian angel. The impossible girl.”

The Doctor was finished with games. He was beginning to find their conversation just a bit uncomfortable. He didn’t like missing something. He didn’t like being left in the dark. Clara gasped. “Doctor… ummm-”

“Enough! You know me. You know who I am, but I don’t seem to know a thing about you. So either we haven’t met yet… or that perception filter is playing tricks on the eyes. My guess is the latter! Tell me who you are.”

“Uhhh, Doctor,” interrupted Clara.

“Not now, Clara… I’m thinking.” The Doctor began to pace, his mind making work of the information and clues gathered. “So! Strange girl, without a name… conveniently waiting for me to land here and my Tardis seems in on it!”

“Doctor… I really think you should-”

“Clara! It’s a process! Don’t interrupt the process!” he responded, focusing back on the mystery woman who looked on the verge of barking laughter. “Either you were given this information, tortured the information out of someone… or that filter is hiding your face from me. So tell me… woman with no name… am I getting hot?”

Clara let out a sigh, while the strange woman of the forest lost herself in a melodious laugh. “Yes dear, most assuredly hot,” she responded.

The Doctor frowned, still confused. Clara let out an exasperated sigh. “Doctor… it’s River Song!”

“Ridiculous! Can’t be, River Song is dead.” The filter shimmered, and he saw it… clear as day. Another face, another set of eyes. “Oh… oh… ooooohhhh.”

Finally the filter shimmered away, and he was greeted with his wife, smile wide and eyes just as brilliant as he remembered. “Hello, sweetie.”

 _Why aren’t you dead?_ “River?”

Everything grew silent, as if to respect this moment in time. The moment the Doctor was greeted with a miracle of his own. Clara gripped his arm, though he barely felt her touch as his body grew numb and his eyes honed in on the woman he’d been trying so hard to forget. He didn’t even notice Stefan’s stance straighten, suddenly all confidence and vanity, his face shimmered until his filter was also removed, and the blinding smile of Captain Jack Harkness was revealed. “Loooove the bow tie.”

*~*~*

No diaries to sync. She would have pulled hers out by now, but it made little sense when everything in the universe told him River Song was long dead. He found himself aching for Amy and Rory, the ol' gang... they would have known what to do. His dear Clara was far too 'new' for such a mess. “Where are we… for you?” he asked, his voice surprisingly rough. The cabin she’d led them to took a path away from the falling trees of the Gamma Forests, and he could hear birds chirping once again along the ever flowing river nearby.

His wife's smile never waned. It was subtle, revealed nothing, full of spoilers he could never fully be a part of. Jack Harkness had made himself busy in the kitchen the moment they returned, and the smell of fish overwhelmed his senses. It reminded him of the start of his journey before everything changed. It reminded him of home... well, family at the very least. Clara wandered about the cabin with unbidden curiosity, obviously questioning everything privately, as well she should. She poked a trinket that hung on the wall, eyes wide when it almost fell and she clumsily hooked it back into place.

He hid away his smile, and focused his attention on River. His smile immediately faded. Nothing was as it seemed, and he most definitely did not trust this woman to be his long dead wife… not yet. She picked up on his discomfort loud and clear, however he didn't notice the usual distress in her eyes. “Really dear, I’m overwhelmed by your enthusiasm,” she finally spoke just as Jack returned with the fish and custard, setting it before the Doctor.

“You are rather… dead. Forgive me for being skeptical,” he replied.

Jack snorted, but said nothing as River’s gaze cut through him. His hands rose, and he backed away, taking a seat and sipping his tea as if he hadn’t a care in the world. River returned her gaze to the Doctor. “You think you are so clever… don’t you, Doctor. Always with a plan, but you didn’t count on me.”

The Doctor’s gaze wandered to Clara once more, and to every exit in the small cabin. She stood by the door, clever girl. Always good to be close to the exits… just in case. “Didn’t I?”

Song rolled her eyes, pushing away from the table and walking towards the window that looked out towards the river and the forest beyond. “Do I look like a fool, sweetie?”

“You married me,” he pointed out, with a quirk of his eyebrow.

“Foolish in love, perhaps… but never in life.” River smiled and turned back to the Doctor. “There you were… standing at my door with your silly hat, freshly cut hair, and you take me to the singing towers of all places. You think I ignored your tears? You think I didn’t feel what was coming? What was always coming for me?” Her smile faltered, and he could swear she was her mother in that brief moment. That Scottish fire and passion, stubborn and proud… all the reasons he’d loved her... and her mother. “You embarrass me.”

“I embarrass you? River, there was nothing I could do-”

“Shut up! You know that's not what I mean!” River snapped, making Clara jump. Even Jack paused from drinking his tea. “I’m not someone who needs saving, Doctor. I never was! All that time we spent together and it never even occurred to you that I didn’t _need_ your help.”

The Doctor’s eyes slipped towards their company, slightly uncomfortable to be having such a private conversation in front of companions. “River… how are you alive?”

“My death wasn’t a fixed point.”

“You told me _not one line_! You told me not to interfere.”

“Because unlike you, I knew how to solve my dilemma!”

Jack cleared his throat, setting down his tea. “Early days of the ‘flesh duplicates’… before they realized it was possible for the flesh to be alive when they were discarded. Ring any bells?”

The Doctor turned to look at Jack, taking in his face for the first time since arriving. He looked older, and different. Something had happened to him since last they saw each other. He’d solve that puzzle later. One problem at a time. “Obviously, I was there to discover what they’d done to Amy Pond-”

“An electrical charge caused the flesh to come alive as it never had before, absorbing all of the knowledge and experience that came with it,” River interrupted. “Realizing what was coming… I _dressed for the occasion_ , but I knew there was a possibility of my flesh becoming conscious at the point of death. The moment that countdown ended I was cut off from the connection, and my flesh duplicate was incinerated. You downloaded a copy of my psyche… a data ghost clone, if you will.”

“Then it wasn’t really you?” Clara questioned. “When you reached out to link with me from the Library… all that stuff about being left behind… that was your psyche clone trapped in the computer core?”

River glanced over at Clara with a short nod, but the Doctor was beyond speechless. He’d thought about something similar, of course, but he’d never quite figured a way to pull it off without changing the course of their relationship and history. He’d forced himself to respect her decision as best he could, though not even he’d been able to resist keeping her alive in some way. He hadn’t been able to stand the idea of seeing her gone for good. “I saved… a copy of a copy,” he finally spoke, shaking his head in amazement. “You… clever girl.”

His wife tipped her head to the side, drawing close enough for her breathe to brush the side of his face. He would have preferred a good slap to the words she spoke next. “Don’t you ever underestimate me again, sweetie.”

*~*~*

“So… you travel with the Doctor?”

They’d been sent off like children back to the Tardis while ‘mom and dad’ finish their ‘discussion.’ Clara had a feeling things were about to get ugly, and she’d been more than happy to leave them be. Jack Harkness was a bit a mystery though, and she couldn't quite understand his part in all this. “Yeah… sometimes… mostly just Wednesdays.”

Jack paused, a wide grin on his face. He looked at her as if he was discovering all kinds of ways to make her blush, but she'd seen him look at the Doctor and River Song just the same. Bisexual, perhaps? And apparently very liberal about what was on his mind. Not the kind of man one could take home to mother, surely. "Wednesdays? You just… ha, that is good!” He shook his head with glee.

“What about you?” She couldn’t quite figure out how the Doctor knew him. The Doctor hadn’t exactly been happy about the reunion on either counts. Perhaps they hadn't parted ways on good terms? It didn't make her feel very secure about being alone with him, but the Doctor wouldn't have sent her off if he was dangerous... would he? “You and River?”

Harkness shook his head, taking her hand as he led her deeper into the forests down the safest path less likely to be blocked by falling trees. “It’s a complicated story… not really sure it’s worth telling," he spoke, his American accent muddled from time among... was it Scottish maybe? "I was a friend or companion, whatever… once, before he regenerated.”

“Oh… you mean… you knew the one with the… sandshoes?”

Jack stilled, turning back to Clara. His expression was amused, eyebrow quirked curiously. “Sandshoes? Yeah, right… ummm… I guess, but not just then. When I first met him he was the guy with big ears. Then it was the hair, or sandshoes. Now it’s the chin! Jeez, someone should really start counting faces at this point.” He continued leading her down the path. The sky had grown dark, and it was a lot more difficult to see, the deeper they walked into the forest. Her companion didn’t even seem fazed. “So you… met another one of his regenerations?”

“Two actually… all three of them in one room.”

“Dear god… I cannot even… you don’t even want to know what I’m thinking right now,” he muttered with a shudder.

“Are you and River Song romantically linked?” She’d notice the subtle intimacy, the looks and touches, though she hadn’t the heart to point anything out in front of the Doctor.

“What?!”

“Are you two-”

Jack shook his head with a chuckle. “Lady, if I had a chance with that woman…” he broke off before finishing his thought. “No, we’re… friends. She’s been helping me through a difficult time... and I suppose I return the favor. We have an understanding."

“You lost someone?” It wasn’t hard to make the connection. She saw the weight of it in his eyes almost as surely as in the Doctor’s.

“Someone… several someones,” he corrected. His eyes grew harsh and empty for the briefest moment. “Everyone.”

“My name… it’s Clara, by the way.”

The haunted expression disappeared as if it'd never been there from the start, replaced with charm and he took her in with obvious ‘male’ interest. “The pleasures all mine, Clara. I’ve heard a lot about you, believe it or not.”

“How?”

“Oh, multiple sources, although... River does like to keep informed.” Clara followed his footsteps closely just as the Doctor had advised. The unsturdy plant life kept them both on guard, and she didn't like how distracted the Captain looked, eyes roaming the forest heatedly. “She wanted to make sure he wasn’t traveling alone. Do you… do you hear that? Sounds... sonic...."

The silent forest… of course she didn’t hear anything! Trees fell and made no noise! Clara paused anyway, giving it a second in case she was wrong, but nothing… not a sound in the dark. “Not even a pin dropping.”

Jack’s eyes lifted to the tops of the forest. “No…” he whispered, grasping Clara’s hand and yanking her forward just as a tree dropped, missing her by mere inches.

Clara yelped in surprise, but Jack was occupied, senses on full alert. Another one dropped just ahead of her, and Jack moved her away and straight into his awaiting arms… and body, a very solid body. Clara glanced up with wide eyes. His hand drifted just a bit too low. She immediately stiffened, eyes shooting him a glare.

“Oh… sorry… they’ve got a mind of their own." He looked innocent enough, though she was less than amused, even as he stepped away cautiously.

*~*~*

She was hiding something, another something… many somethings. “River-”

“Not anymore… River’s dead,” she corrected coldly.

“No you’re not, because I’m looking right at her,” he replied, moving to his feet. The Doctor couldn’t understand why she refused to look at him. Perhaps it was the somethings she was hiding. He had to know. He reached for her arm, but she pulled away, so he gripped harder and pulled.

The slap felt good. It was good contact just like he remembered. He adjusted his jaw, and turned back to face her, grabbing the other hand before she could throw another one. The Doctor pushed her against the wall of the empty cabin, just a tiny bit angry. “Stop it! You stop this now, River!”

He could hear the rushing water of the river outside. He could feel his hearts beating so hard and fast in his chest, as if they would surely explode. She pressed against him willingly, oh so sensuously, but her resistance burned him. Her eyes were closed to him, not letting him in. Their foreheads pressed together, and for a moment he wondered… all he had to do was reach out to her… no more spoilers to worry about. Just one quick look into her mind, but he knew she would never forgive him. “You’re crying," she forced out.

“You died… of course I am.” He kissed her before she could say another word, felt a tear drop against her face. He only let go the moment she kissed him back.

She pulled away almost immediately, slipping from his arms. It took everything he had not to follow, not to reach out for her. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Doctor. I should have told you my plan.”

“I suppose I wasn’t very forthcoming myself… when I died.”

River turned to face him. “So here we are… two dead people. Suppose that does complicate the marriage… till death do we part, not that we ever really said the words, mind you, but it was implied.”

The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets to keep them still. Serious conversations… he was never a fan, but sometimes they were a must. He was rubbish at them, always had been. “You were by my side in life… why not death too?”

“Is that an invitation?”

“You never needed one.”

“But you gave them anyway.” He did, multiple times. She never agreed, the stubborn woman. “This is my home now.”

“A cabin by the river… in the Gamma Forests?”

“Cozy.”

“Boring!”

He could see the moment he’d stepped over the line, watched her straighten, and if looks could kill… he’d be regenerating right now. “Oooh, you are so… infuriating!”

“And you are so… so human!” he shouted.

River took a step close, invading his space this time. “You think it was easy?! All this time hiding in the shadows, letting you think I was dead?! I had no home to go back to!” Rory and Amy gone. Their family knew next to nothing about their daughter. That didn't mean she was without family.

“Yes, you did! You had one with me! Mad man and a box… there’s plenty of room!”

His wife rolled her eyes. “Oh please, I’m not just going to run off traveling with you like some sort of… companion.”

“Is that what this is about?! You trying to be different from the others?!”

“I _am_ different, Doctor! But you haven’t been paying attention! You never pay attention!”

“You’ve got my attention… right now!” he argued, desperate to understand, to comprehend this wall between them. He’d thought it was time taking it’s toll… front to back, all the traveling. He’d been wrong. It was something else. There were no more spoilers. Time’s curse on them was broken… so why did she feel more distant than ever?

River Song, his wife, she stood before him like a dream. She had her mother’s fire, and her father’s loyalty. She was strong and brave… the best of him and the worst. River Song licked dry lips and held his gaze. “Three words. That’s all it takes. Just three little words.”

“Can’t I at least get a hint?”

“There were days when I spent hours poring through history to find your tracks in the sand! I fell in love with your story, Doctor. I don't think you ever truly understood mine.”

It took him a moment to realize that was the only hint he was going to get. “I… am sorry!” he spoke, in the gentlest tone he could muster. “I am sorry for what’s happened, for your parents… for everything. I'm sorry I interfered with your ... 'sort of' death. I never treated you in the way you deserved, River.”

River shook her head in disbelief. “You really think I need you to apologize for my life? Have I ever once shown the least bit of regret about what became of it?”

The Doctor opened his mouth to answer, but promptly closed it when words failed him. Words never failed him. Only River ever managed to put him in this state of uncertainty. It wasn't that he believed she held him responsible for everything that had happened, guilt was just a part of his every day existence. The Doctor had carried it so long; he’d forgotten how to feel anything else.

Then one day he’d discovered a way to save the Time Lords… lock them all away safe and watch the Dalek’s destroy themselves. He’d saved his world, instead of watching it burn. All that guilt that’d pushed him to heal the universe; this time he did it because he wanted to and not because he needed to. An entire world saved, but lost just as his River had been... or so he'd thought. In the end, it wasn't so much her life he felt guilty about, but his role in shaping it. Yet somehow, beyond all chance, she'd made it brilliant. She'd been the one thing he'd never counted on. He'd just never taken the time to see it.

“No… no, you’re right. I’m the one with regrets.”

“Yes well… I don’t plan on being one of them. You should go, Doctor. Your wife is dead, and I’d say that makes us even. We’ve both served our time.” River backed away, moving towards the door.

The Doctor didn’t want her to go. More than anything in the world, in the universe, he couldn't lose her again. He knew why the tears came when he least expected it. He knew what that ache was in his hearts. “Right! Yes! Our marriage was a bit rubbish, what with that whole back to front issue! Not to mention a terrible wedding… tying the knot on a pyramid! Although, I must admit I get quite excited when I see a good pyramid… they’re just soooo cool!” He flirted playfully, walking towards her with all the confidence in the world. “The thing is… you want three words, and I can’t say I blame you! You don’t want an apology. No need for apologies. You want more than that. No, you deserve more than that. I may be a mad man in a box, but I’m your mad man! I’m your Doctor! I’m _Benjamin_!”

“Who’s Benjamin?” River questioned.

He ignored her, and carried on, determined. “I’m the Doctor! I’ve lived over a thousand years! I’m a Time Lord! The Oncoming Storm! River Song, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met… and I am the man that loves you!”

River didn’t move. She didn’t breathe. Eyes wide, mouth half open, and properly stunned (he was sure). Finally she shook her head. "Of course you do, you idiot!"

Not the reaction he'd been expecting. She was getting angry again. He declared his undying love for her and she was getting angry. The Doctor was starting to get frustrated now, and he threw his hands skyward in defeat. "Oh come on! What do you want from me, River?!" he whined.

"To be your equal!" she replied firmly, giving him pause. "It's all I've ever wanted!"

What? What?! _What?!_ "But that's rubbish, of course your my equal. You’re the woman who married me. You’re the woman who kills the Doctor. You've bested me since the moment we met. You've challenged me, stupefied me, and basically revived an especially kinky part of my sex drive that I didn't even know existed with the use of those damn handcuffs! River, you’re not just my equal... you’re my match... in every way."

The hardness around her eyes lifted like parting clouds after an especially dreary storm. The softness of her smile was especially gratifying. He smiled back. Finally, he must’ve gotten it right. “I hate you…” she whispered fondly.

“No you don’t.”

She was kissing him in seconds. His arms barely flailed before they wrapped firmly around her, as desperate for her as she was for him. All he could do was hang on and enjoy the ride… well, he certainly hoped there would be riding… and possibly handcuffs!

*~*~*

“What happened? How did you hear?” she asked, keeping a safe distance from Jack Harkness' wandering hands, while her eyes roamed for more falling trees. They were silent, but deadly, especially when she could barely see a thing.

“River would say… ‘spoilers.’ Me? I tend to be a spoil sport! No reason to keep silent about it. We’re not alone here.”

Clara’s eyes continued to search the forest, but she saw nothing in the dense darkness. “You mean the people of the forest? I’ve been wondering what happened to them.”

“Died off a long time ago… killed off actually. The Silence are a less than forgiving bunch.”

“Then who?” she questioned, eyeing Jack wearily.

Jack scratched the back of his head, and peered out the corner of his eye as the Doctor had done earlier that day. “Our cover’s blown, you might as well come out before you send more trees toppling over our heads!” he shouted, turning from left to right, and she could see it now… the shimmering. Perception filter.

She wasn't expecting the older, thin gentleman standing nearby, looking less than amused. "These trees are impossible! I don't know how anyone navigates this forest! One can't even breathe properly without toppling half a dozen trees!" he complained, grumpily.

The Captain's smile was wide and cheeky. "You couldn't find the Tardis, I assume?"

Clara's eyes narrowed, confused. The older man grunted his annoyance, looking affronted. "I'm perfectly capable of finding my own bloody Tardis, thank you! Just... not the linear one. Such a terrible desktop... all those flashing lights nearly gave me a seizure!"

"What?!" she squawked, eyes widening. He couldn't be... could he? Wouldn't be the first time she saw him... different, but... she didn't remember this face. "Doctor?!"

The Doctor smiled wide, and welcoming. "My dear Clara! Look at you!" He pulled her in a hug before she could protest. "Have you gotten shorter? Or am I taller? Blimey... I never noticed before. There's definitely a difference. At this age what does it matter? This body… I’m damn near ancient!"

Jack's eyebrows rose as he gave the Doctor a once over. "I'm not one to complain...."

Clara flashed Jack a glare, but the Doctor seemed unfazed. "You can look, but don't touch... well, I'm sure River would mind a little touching...."

"Doctor!" she scolded, blushing, while Jack laughed.

"I'm a hot commodity, my dear! Just because I was taken off the shelf doesn't mean I don't fancy the attention... if you know what I mean! Give an old man some dignity! Now... where am I?"

Clara folded her arms disapprovingly. "In the Gamma Forest."

"No... no... _other_ me. Where is the younger me?"

"He's still with River. Looked a bit tense in there, Doctor," warned Harkness.

The Doctor frowned, staring up at the sky. "It's getting a bit late... by now they've finished arguing. In fact, by this point I'm almost certain we were having sex!"

Again Clara's jaw dropped, not quite used to the Doctor behaving so scandalously. "Doctor!"

"Well, we are married!" he reminded her, defensively. "Happily married, if I do say so myself! River is... insatiable!"

Jack was almost in tears beside her, laughing. He turned to Clara proudly. "If you couldn't tell... he's my favorite."

Clara rolled her eyes. "Could we please... just not!" If this was what she had to look forward to... Clara shook her head. "I thought it was dangerous having more than one Doctor in one place, what are you even doing here?"

The Doctor cleared his throat, scratching at an eyebrow, and dropping his smile. "I was here before you arrived to warn River that I was coming... the other me, that is! She needed to be ready for my arrival, and prepare _me_ for tough times ahead. After all... his time is ending. The fall of the eleventh." His eyes are on Clara, and she could feel his tension and concern bleeding through. "I'm... so sorry, Clara... everything will be different soon."

She knew what he was telling her, had known by the fear she saw in her Doctor's eyes when he spoke of his future. "He's going to die and regenerate, isn't he?"

The Doctor nodded, cracking a smile. "Good news is, he turns into this handsome devil!" he teased, striking a pose.

Clara's smile was faint, and she knew he was trying to ease her fears, what surprised her most… was that it was working.

*~*~*

It took almost a full hour for the Doctor to find _his_ Tardis, refusing to allow Clara a glimpse inside. _No sneak previews! You’ll see, soon enough!_ His smile was warm and youthful despite his aged appearance. "Clara, I must warn you now... River has been a terrible influence on me!"

"You've loved every second of it," Jack insisted playfully.

The Doctor's smile immediately turned wicked. "She keeps me young, dear Jack!"

"Oi! Enough, you two!" Clara snapped as the boys laughed. "I can see I'm going to have my hands full with you lot!"

"Something to look forward to!" the Doctor assured her with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. He was off and inside with a giggle before she could give him a proper swing, and the Tardis faded away from sight moments later. The Captain kept her safe from the trees that dropped the moment the Tardis disappeared. Three fell in an instant, and one delayed nearly a minute before falling just behind them.

"Why don't we head back to the cabin? It's getting late, and I can’t see a damn thing. I'll take you back to your Tardis in the morning when it's safer!" he told her grimly.

"Good idea!" Clara agreed.

She would soon come to regret this decision when she returned half an hour later and received an eyeful... of her _very_ naked Doctor and River Song. While Jack was just seconds away from attempting to manipulate the couple into a threesome, Clara had already rushed off towards the river, certain she’d be camping outside for the night.

"Honestly, doesn't anybody know how to knock?!" growled the Doctor.

"Oh sweetie, calm down!" soothed River Song.

"I will never knock again if this is what I'm greeted with!" promised Jack Harkness.

"Officially the worst kind of shenanigans!" screamed Clara Oswald.

It was worth the mental scars to see the Doctor’s tears become a thing of the past, but she’d be dead and buried a million times over before she admitted it. The irony of this thought did not escape her….

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! I do love a bit of feedback! ;-)


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